Genesis 17:22

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

22 Cumque finitus esset sermo loquentis cum eo, ascendit Deus ab Abraham.

And when He had finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 finitus finished NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
3 esset had been / was 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 sermo speech / word NOM.SG.M
5 loquentis of the one speaking GEN.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
6 cum with PREP+ABL
7 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
8 ascendit went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Deus God NOM.SG.M
10 ab from PREP+ABL
11 Abraham Abraham ABL.SG.M.PROP.NOUN

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque finitus esset sermo loquentis cum eo — Introduced by cumque (“and when”), forming a temporal subordinate clause. sermo (“speech”) is the subject; finitus esset is a pluperfect periphrastic construction (“had been finished”); loquentis (“of the one speaking”) is a genitive participial phrase modifying sermo; cum eo (“with him”) indicates the interlocutor, Abraham.
Main Clause: ascendit Deus ab Abraham — ascendit (“went up”) serves as the main verb; Deus is the subject; ab Abraham denotes source or separation (“from Abraham”), marking the conclusion of the theophany.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: compound of “when” + enclitic “and”; Function: introduces temporal subordinate clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Connects this sentence to the preceding narrative while marking sequence in time.
  2. finitus — Lemma: finio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive; Function: part of periphrastic verb with “esset”; Translation: “finished”; Notes: Describes completion of divine speech.
  3. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: auxiliary in temporal clause; Translation: “had been / was”; Notes: Subjunctive used in temporal cum-clause expressing circumstance.
  4. sermo — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “finitus esset”; Translation: “speech / word”; Notes: Refers to the discourse between God and Abraham.
  5. loquentis — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular masculine, present active; Function: modifies “sermo”; Translation: “of the one speaking”; Notes: Identifies the speaker as God within the clause.
  6. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Links the speaker’s action to his interaction with Abraham.
  7. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers contextually to Abraham, the interlocutor.
  8. ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went up”; Notes: Depicts divine withdrawal after the communication ends.
  9. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The agent of ascent, marking the departure of divine presence.
  10. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the point of departure from Abraham.
  11. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “ab”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Identifies the human counterpart in the divine encounter, from whom God now departs.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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